Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua has dismissed the finance bill proposing that county revenues be collected by the central government.
Mutua said the proposal is an insult to devolution since most counties are capable of collecting their own taxes.
"The State has crafted a radical bill to clip county governments authority to impose taxes signaling a renewed standoff with devolved units," Mutua said.
The Treasury has drafted the county government revenue raising regulation process bill 2017 giving the treasury cabinet secretary sweeping powers to examine and approve taxation proposal by all counties.
Currently, county governments do not need the Treasury's approval of their revenue-raising measures including imposition of taxes, levies, and service charges.
"This will dilute devolution and counties should resist this move at all cost," Mutua who was flanked by his Nyeri counterpart Mutahi Kahiga said on Friday.
"If the bill will be implemented, it will go against the spirit of devolution and autonomy and will reverse the gains made by the new constitution," stated Mutua.
He was speaking along the Kivandini -Masinga road which is being upgraded to bitumen standards by the county government at a cost of Sh220 million.
The 18-kilometers road saw Mutua take Kahiga through the surface dressing process that saw the two county chiefs jog along the road, amid the sweltering heat to witness the exercise.
"If devolution was not here with us, this rural road would not be upgraded to bitumen standards so we should resist this move at all costs," Mutua said.
The function was also attended by Nyeri county executive committee members and forty-four members of the county assembly.
Kahiga said it was impressive to learn that Machakos County was constructing roads at Sh11 million per kilometer while Nyeri was doing it at Sh47 million.
The Nyeri County team has been on a three-day bench marking tour of Machakos County and have visited among other facilities, the Machakos Level 5 Hospital, the ultra-modern Kenyatta stadium which was upgraded to international standards in a record three months.